Aerie Class

Template:SpecificationsThe Aerie Class is a small multi-mission starship in use by both Starfleet and Federation civilian agencies, primarily as a surveyor or transport. First built in the 2350s, they are ubiquitous throughout the Federation serving in roles that do not require a larger ship.

Science and Exploration

Aerie-class ships are adept at handling surveying planetary bodies, though they aren’t as capable as larger surveyors like the Nova-class ships that came after them. Typically, they are sent into a system after a larger ship has left to focus on a specific scientific question, for example studying an interesting volcano or unusual species of plant life, rather than the comprehensive cataloging done by other science ships. Some of these vessels are specially-modified to serve one particular sub-field of science, such as archaeology or zoology and are attached directly to the relevant bureau of Starfleet Science or a civilian research agency.

Aerie-class ships are equipped with high-grade sensors and a probe launcher; the specific sensors installed depends on the ship’s mission, and they can be swapped out as is needed. There less available surface area for sensor pallets than on large starships, so they tend to be either hyper-specific sensors for a single task or an assortment of general sensors optimized for basic research missions.

A handful of Aerie-class ships have been used for ultra-long-range missions by civilian agencies with minimal crews, including the Raven, which was used by the Hansen family to study the Borg, before being lost in the Delta Quadrant.

Diplomacy

Aerie-class ships aren’t suited to diplomatic missions, though they can be configured as couriers. Many Federation governmental agencies maintain a few of these vessels fitted out as VIP transports to handle travel within the Federation, including the Diplomatic Corps.

Engineering

About the size of an Oberth-class ship’s primary hull, Aerie-class ships are compact and angular, with a hull shape that makes routine planetary landings easier. They are also capable of using larger shuttle bays on space stations.

Engineering systems emphasize reliability and automation, as the Aerie-class typically operates with a crew of 10. They’re not generally more than a few days from port, though, so any repairs can often be made at the end of a voyage, further obviating the need for a large crew. The propulsion systems were based on a miniaturized version of the contemporary Springfield-class, with an average cruising speed of Warp 5 and an emergency speed of Warp 8.

The majority of the interior space not occupied by vital components is reconfigurable to suit a particular ship’s purpose. Modules such as cargo holds or science labs can be swapped out, though the procedure can take several days. Most Aerie-class ships remain the same configuration for years at a time.

Tactical

Most Aerie-class ships are unarmed and only have basic graviton shields for defense. Some units have been built with Type-VIII phaser banks to serve in colonial defense forces or as patrol vessels along shipping lanes where a standard Federation starship would be overkill.

Because of their ubiquity, Aerie-class ships make good surveillance or reconnaissance vessels, given that they’re likely to go overlooked by threat vessels and can be fitted with powerful long-range sensor arrays.

Shipboard Life

While the majority of these ships are operated by civilians, Starfleet does maintain a fleet of Aerie-class ships that it uses as personnel or cargo transports within Federation space, as support ships for research bases, as specialized research ships, and as light patrol ships. With a crew of only ten, their commanding officers are often mere lieutenants. Tours of duty are not long for Aerie-class crews, as their duties tend to be so mundane that most officers don’t wish to spend more than six months assigned to one.

Aerie-class ships in their standard configuration are equipped with an observation lounge on the stern and a mess hall, but no holodecks or other recreational facilities. Crew quarters are spartan, though the captain, first officer, and chief engineer have their own staterooms.

Variants

Transport Variant

The most common variant of the Aerie-class ship is equipped with facilities to transport supplies that cannot be replicated and to house up to thirty-two passengers in relative comfort for voyages of up to two weeks; these ships are assigned to travel routes between the core worlds and colonies, often with the same ship being assigned to circuit between two planets or starbases for its entire service life. These vessels carry a crew of ten, have sixteen two-person staterooms for passengers, and two cargo holds.

Passenger Variant

Built for short-range missions, the passenger variant of the Aerie-class ship has comfortable seating for up to 240 passengers and twenty crewmembers across two decks. This variant is equipped with port and starboard docking hatches forward, aft, and amidships, as well as additional lifeboats in place of a shuttlebay. Typical assignments for this class of ship is restricted to intra-system transit only, shuttling passengers between Earth and Luna, for example. They retain warp capability for traveling to outlying areas of star systems, or to move to evacuation zones where they can be used to shuttle passengers between planets’ surfaces and larger passenger ships.

Freighter Variant

The freighter variant is nearly all cargo holds, with accomodations for a crew of five. These ships can handle longer range missions than the transport variant and are used for transporting technical parts and supplies to the outlying reaches of the Federation.

Surveyor Variant

The surveyor variant of the Aerie-class is equipped for medium-duration missions within Federation space to survey planets. It can also be fitted out for specific scientific sub-disciplines such as zoology or mineralogy to handle more specific operations. There are accommodations for up to 12 crew members, with a minimum crew of two.

Patrol Variant

The patrol variant is mostly used by colonial defense forces and has Type-VIII phaser strips covering most arcs, in addition to twenty photon torpedos. The standard crew of this variant is 24, to handle the additional tactical equipment.

Courier/VIP Variant

The Courier/VIP Variant is designed to transport a single high-priority guest, and their staff within the Federation, or to deliver an important piece of equipment or other small parcel in safety. The engines on this variant have been uprated to deliver speeds of Warp 8, and the accommodations have been tailored to hosting important passengers such as diplomats or civil ministers. As such, their communications equipment and shields have been substantially upgraded as well, though they remain unarmed.They have a crew of ten, with accomodations for eleven passengers (including the VIP).

The Aerie-class in Play

• This small starship is three to four times the total volume of a modern Boeing 747-8, which is one of the largest airliners in service, but it is substantially smaller than most other starships. The crew of a vessel of this size is often less than ten and the CO would be of very junior rank, if Starfleet at all.
• You would see these ships performing their duties all over the Federation, especially in the core. They would be so common that they would often go without being noticed, which could be advantageous for the small number of them in surveillance or intelligence roles.
• These ships would be great as a portable laboratory set up for a particular branch of science.
• The passenger variant would be the 24th century equivalent of an airliner, only seen normally within a star system. The transport and VIP variants would feel more like a small cruise ship or ferry.

Class History

First envisioned in the 2340s as a replacement for the aging Oberth-class design, the Aerie-class was a response to a need for a small starship that could be configured to suit a number of different mission parameters, either within Federation space or as a reliable, highly-automated long-range expedition ship with minimal crew. Roughly similar to an Oberth-class ship’s primary hull in terms of volume, the Aerie was more compact and efficient, though with lower overall capabilities across all mission parameters. Nevertheless, the class emerged as a staple of Federation shipbuilding, entering civilian fleets, colonial defense forces, and Starfleet itself in droves.

The Aerie was granted to the Hansen family, who used it on a clandestine mission to study the Borg in the 2350s, though this ship was lost when the three Hansens were assimilated. Other vessels of this class have served quietly and without distinction during their long service history, being a common sight in nearly all Federation starports.